(ANALYSIS) Most surveys are not particularly good at digging into the reasons why people aren’t reproducing anymore. However, we have a great new addition to the discourse about fertility because Pew has posted their American Trends Panel 147 on the Association of Religion Data Archives. The first line of the summary tells the whole story.
Read MoreReligious participation in the United States is showing signs of stability following years of decline, but new research from Pew also suggests that reports of a religious revival among young adults may tell only part of the story. For now, these latest findings point to a recovery in religious attendance alongside continued long-term uncertainty about faith in America.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Let’s actually dig into the widely held belief that American Orthodox Christianity is experiencing a huge surge in converts post-pandemic. The short answer: That’s a really hard claim to test with survey data, for a simple reason. There just aren’t that many Orthodox Christians in the U.S. to begin with.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Where do you go to vote on Election Day? I am assuming that all you readers are actually voting. If you don’t, it’s my solemn duty as a classically trained political scientist to tell you that your vote matters and all that. I’ve voted in a bunch of different places in my life, especially when I was in college and graduate school.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The Association of Religion Data Archives is awesome for a project like this because I can quickly find the datasets that I need to answer this question from multiple angles. I am going to use two different sources — the General Social Survey, which allows me to trace the contours of American religion all the way back to the early 1970s, and the Pew Religious Landscape Survey, which permits me to do a really deep dive on the state of Catholic retention in the last couple of years.
Read More(ANALYSIS) You can probably guess where this post is going. The Canadian General Social Survey is fielded every year, but it doesn’t ask about religion in every wave. However, it did include a battery of questions about religious affiliation, importance, and attendance in 2003, 2008, 2013, and 2020. This gives me ample data to test the theory of a religious revival in Canada.
Read More(ANALYSIS) In those texts, the conquest and colonization of the Western Hemisphere were inseparable from religious conversion. His actions echoed in subsequent generations, evident in other Europeans’ efforts to spread Christianity in the Americas.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Whenever you think about the very largest churches in the United States, what denominations come to mind? I think that most of you, if you’ve been following along with this newsletter for any amount of time, would think of non-denominationalism. Maybe a Southern Baptist church. And the data says that this is largely the case.
Read MoreMore pastors are preaching longer sermons, and most churchgoers are OK with it. In fact, a small but growing number would prefer even more each week. A Lifeway Research study of Protestant pastors and churchgoers finds little disagreement between the pulpit and the pews over sermon length, even as pastors stretch out their weekly messages.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The Bible was such an integral part of my upbringing that it’s hard to describe. We did Bible quizzing drills and scripture verse memorization. By the time I got my driver’s license, I had a pretty good grasp on the meta-narrative laid out in the 66 books that make up the Old and New Testaments. I had Bibles from all kinds of translations, too.
Read MoreFindings are based on several data sets, including surveys distributed in seven languages to experts in 100 countries, in-depth interviews with country-specific experts, and onsite visits to select countries to verify data and collect additional information, as well as established resources including the World Christian Database, the World Watch List and World Development Bank indicators.
Read More(ANALYSIS) New religious movements often form around charismatic sources of authority offering new answers to enduring human questions. What makes AI historically unusual is that the charismatic figure no longer needs to stand on a stage. It no longer needs to establish a church or gather disciples around itself.
Read MoreTwenty-five years after 9/11, American Muslim communities face record levels of anti-Islamic bias, attacks and political hostility. From Michigan’s police partnerships to Texas’s legal battles, mosques are strengthening security and grassroots vigilance, seeking to protect worshippers while preserving spaces of faith, fellowship and belonging.
Read MoreIn Hulu’s “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” half of the show’s reality TV cast are unceremoniously disinvited from their friend’s baby blessing party. Their alleged transgression? Not being Mormon enough. The episode hits on a larger cultural trend: Mormons appear to have grown less religious, according to a new study.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Remaining believers, committed atheists and the totally indifferent still share the same treacherous roads. They complain about the exact same potholes. So, yes, the Granite State holds the crown for the highest share of atheists in the nation. Yet God still manages to retain a surprisingly active local fan base. In other words, don’t draft the Almighty’s obituary just yet.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Obviously, Baptists pay close attention to baptism statistics, along with trends on church attendance and membership. In a new report, Lifeway dug into Southern Baptist Convention Annual Church Profile numbers for 2025 and reported that baptisms rose for the fifth consecutive year. Baptist leaders quickly noted another current trend — adults 30 and older represented 33% of all baptisms.
Read MoreA Lifeway Research study of 1,000 evangelical and Black Protestant male churchgoers and 473 men’s ministry leaders highlighted the importance of dedicated men’s ministries.
Read More(ANALYSIS) As Israel enters its third year of war on multiple fronts, the question of whether ultra-Orthodox men should be exempt from mandatory military service has become a much larger argument about citizenship itself: Who bears responsibility for defending the Jewish state?
Read MoreBuddhism is experiencing a revival in northern Bangladesh as thousands of Indigenous Oraon people have embraced the faith since the mid-1990s. Supporters see it as a return to an ancient religious heritage, though the movement faces challenges, including a shortage of monks and criticism from some religious leaders.
Read MoreWhat happens in this New Jersey town can have ramifications for the whole country: The Fellowship of Christian Athletes has filed a federal lawsuit against a district, alleging the district unlawfully barred outside volunteers from attending religious student clubs.
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